Cutting attachment for box-covering machines.



. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907. M. D. KNOWLTON,-DECD. A. 1). & r. K. IKNOWLTON, ADMINISTRATORS. GUTTINGATT AGHMENT FOR BOX COVERING MACHINES.

APPLIGATION FILED HA3. 4, 190 3- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l wtwwaeo M has gfigfi KwwZion No. 858,078. I PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907. M. D. KNOWLTON, DBGD.

A. D. Gal. K. KNOWLTON, ADMINISTRATORS.

CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOB. BOX COVERING MACHINES.

PPLIOATION FILED MAR. 4 A I 1903 4 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

110.858.0781 I ,PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907. ,1). KNOWLTON, DBGD,

A. n. & 1*. K. KNOWLTON, ADMINISTRATORB. CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR BOX COVERING MACHINES.

APPLIOATfON FILED MAR. 4, 1903.

- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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m ki Mark DJEwwZZO V m f GL3,

V rt: NORRIS PETERS ca.. wnsumcron, n. c.

No. 858,078. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907. M. n. 'KNOWLTON, 11mm.

A. D. a; P. K. KNOW'LTON, ADMINISTR'ATOBS.

CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR BOX COVERING MACHINES.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 4, 1903.

4 SHEET S-SHEET 4. 6 47. 4

l I I l ms NORRIS PETERS co. wAsI-lmcran, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK D. KNOWLTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ANNIE D. KNOWLTON AND FREDERIC K. KNOWLTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ADMINIS- TRATORS OF MARK D. KNOWLTON, DECEASED.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented. June 25, 1907.

Application filed March 1,1903. Serial No. 146,089.

To (ti/Z whom it ncooy concern:

Be it known that I, MARK D. KNowLToN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Cutting Attachments for Box-Covering Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of machines adapted for applying a covering strip of paper or other material to paper or strawboard boxes, and one of its main objects is to provide an improved machine of this class in which the movable cutter may be operated to cut the covering strip at any desired point by a movement independent of that whichis imparted to said cutter by its actuating mechanism in the normal operation of-the machine.

Another important feature of my invention is the employment of means for imparting an initial impulse to a movable or swing ing cutter so positioned as to gravitate toward the fixed cutter when released by a letoff mechanism, it being desirable, in order to cause the cutter to operate quickly, to employ some means for imparting such an initial impulse.thereto when the weight of the device is depended upon as the principal means for carrying it through its working stroke.

These features of invention, and others not hereinbefore referred to but which will be hereinafter set forth in detail, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a box-covering machine illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of aporti on of the same as viewed from the opposite side of the machine to that shown in Fig. 1, and illustrates the parts in a different position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan of the extreme forward end of the machine, illustrating the means for rotating the form-block and also showing the let-off devices. Fig. 5 is an ele-.

vation similar to Fig. 1, with parts broken away, and illustrates the position of the mechanism at the moment of cutoif of the strip. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail illustrating the yielding connection between the swinging cutter and its carrier, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail showing the auxiliary cutter-actuating device for imparting an initial impulse to the movable cutter.

1n the drawings, 2 designates the body portion or bed of a box-covering machine, supported on legs 3, and having uprights or posts 4 carrying side-bars or rails 5, which in turn support the guide-rods 5 by which the paper strip is directed in its travel from the supply-reel (not shown) to the cutters, it being understood that this strip, indicated at 6, will be coated with glue or other adhesive in I any well-known manner before it is delivered to the blank carried by the form-block. The form-block on which the blank is placed pre paratory to its being covered is supported in any suitable manner on a rotary carrier, such as the shaft 7, this form-block, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, being adapted to be held in place on said shaft between a knurled clamp-nut 8 and a flange or collar 9. The

shaft 7 is mounted. in bearings on a formblock support which is movable with respect to the main frame in order to permit adjustment of the height of the form-block carrier .for covering boxes of different sizes, the support shown being a swinging arm 10 pivoted on one of the legs 3 and locked thereto in any desired adjusted position by means of a levernut 11. The hearing at the upper end of the support 10 for the shaft 7 is designated by 12. At opposite sides of this hearing are located the driving mechanism for turning the shaft 7 and the driven mechanism or devices for controlling the movements of the swinging cutter to be hereinafter described.

The main driver of the machine, as herein shown, is a grooved pulley 13 which is adapted to be driven from any suitable source of power by a belt 14, as shown in Fig. 1. This pulley is loosely mounted on its shaft and normally turns idly, but may be coupled thereto by any suitable clutch device, such as 15, which in this case is operated by a treadle 16, which permits the operator to stop and start the turning of the form-block instantaneously and as often as may be necessary during the application of the coveringstripl t0 the blank supported on the formbloc r.

From the said main driver 13 power is transmitted to the shaft 7 by means of adjustable driving connections, which in the sideshaft 17 driven from the main driver by bevel gearing 18, which is preferably protected by a gear-case 19 while at its forward end the shaft 17 transmits its movement to the shaft 7 through worm-gearing 20 similarly protected by a gear-case 21.

At the inner side of the bearing 12 the shaft 7 has a cam 22 with a gradual rise and a quick fall for the purpose of regulating the action of the movable cutter and permitting the same to sever the paper strip 6 at the proper point in the box-covering operation. The let-off connections illustrated herein constitute an important feature of my machine and are so organized as to permit the movable cutter to sever the covering strip without requiring the application of any considerable amount of power to the movable cutter. This result is accomplished by mounting the movable cutter in such 'a manner that it has a tendency. to gravitate toward the fixed cutter immediately on its release by the let-off connections. These con nections between the cam 22 and the movable cutter, which are so organized as to multiply the drop of the cam 22 and permit the movable cutter to have a working stroke of considerable length, comprise a let-off lever 23, the short arm of which cooperates with the cam and the long arm of which is connected to a link 24, which in turn is pivoted to a short rock-arm 33 secured to a rockshaft 33 forming one of the elements of the carrying means for the movable cutter 25. The said let-oif lever 23 is pivoted on the form-block support 10 and moves therewith when the position of the support is adjusted. Hence, the position of the long arm of the let-off lever shifts as the adjustment of the support is changed, and for this reason the connections between said lever and the movable cutter should also be adjustable. This adjustment is obtained by pinning the said rock-arm 33 to the link 24 at any desired point, a row of adjusting holes being shown at 26 for this purpose, although it will be evi dent that other means of adjustment may be used.

The support or carrier for the fixed cutter 28, as herein shown, is in the form of an ad justable frame 31 pivoted at 27 directly to a pair of bracket-arms 4, 4, extending from the uprights 4. This fixed-cutter carrier may be adjusted to bring the fixed-cutter to any desired vertical position relative to the path of the covering-strip being fed to the box upon the form-block, and is adapted to be secured in a desired adjusted position by means of an adjusting clamp-nut 29 cooperating with a slotted extension 30 of the carrier, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The movable cutter 25 is pivotally supported at the upper forward end of the machine in a manner to properly cooperate with the said fixed-cutter 28. This movable cutter is not supported, however, directly on the -'main frame, but instead is pivoted on the .The means for so supporting the movablecutter 25 comprises a cutter frame 37 to the free end of which the cutter 25 is connected, and the rock-shaft 33 hereinbefore referred to, these parts, which constitute the principal elements of the movable-cutter carrying means, being connected so as to'normally move together and the rock-shaft being mounted to turn in bearings on the fixed-cutter carrier 31.

When the movable-cutter is released by the let-off mechanism hereinbefore described and gravitates toward the fixed-cutter to cooperate therewith, its movement at the beginning of its stroke is somewhat slow and consequently limits the speed of the machine accordingly. To overcome this objection and cause a quick movement of the cutter throughout its working stroke, I have provided an auxiliary cutter-actuating device which, in the present case and as most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 7, is in the form of a spring-bolt 35 seated in the fixed-cutter carrier 31 in a position to cooperate with a part or nose 34 of the movable-cutter frame 37, in a manner as follows: During the last portion of the upward or return stroke of the movable-cutter to its starting position, the nose 34 of the cutter-frame engages with the said bolt 35 and puts its actuating spring 36 under compression. When so compressed, the spring 36 has sufiicient power to eXert an initial impulse to the cutter when said cutter is released by the let-off mechanism hereinbefore described. The initial impulse thus imparted to the cutter serves to quicken its movement from the starting position, and the momentum resulting from this initial impulse and from the initial portion of its fall is sufficient to swing the cutter quickly through the arc of its working stroke.

Any suitable swinging carrier is sufficient for the purpose of permitting the movable cutter 25 to be operated by power and carried constantly through the same cycle of operations. It frequently becomes necessary, however, to cut the covering strip 6 at some other point than that at which the movable cutter is normally released by the poweroperated let-0H mechanism, and one of the principal features of this invention is the provision that is made for severing the covering strip at any desired point other than that at Which the movable cutter normally operates. In accordance with this feature of the invention the movable cutter normally swings with its carrier, but is also capable of independent movement, this independent action of the cutter being preferably obtained by interposing a yielding connection at some suitable point between the cutter and its carrier. This yielding connection between the cutter and its carrier is. provided in the con struction shown by loosely mounting the cutter-frame 37 on the rock-shaft 33 (which I term the cutter-carrier proper) so as to be ca pable of a swinging movement relatively thereto, and then connecting such parts by a spring 38 whereby they will normally move or operate in unison, this spring in the present case and as most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 6 being in the form of a helical spring which is seated within an opening in a fixed hub or collar 32 on the so-called cutter-carrier 33 with one end suitably fastened to said collar and its other end inserted in a grooved locking-boss 39 on the cutter-frame 37. This described connection between the cutterframe 37 and the cutter-carrier 33 causes such parts to normally move in unison, but when it is desired to swing the cutter-frame 37 relatively to the carrier 33, it may be accomplished by pressing down on the free end of the said cutter-frame, the strength of the spring 38 being such as to cause said cutterframe to normally move in unison with the carrier 33 but permitting it to move independently thereof when actuated by handpressure or otherwise. The downward or working stroke of the movable cutter, as herein shown, is determined by an extension 32 of the hub or collar 32 cooperating with an adjustable stop 32 carried by the fixedcutter carrier 31, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The movable cutter or shear proper, 25, instead of being attached directly to the frame 37, is preferably secured to an auxiliary frame or bar 40 which is pivoted to the cut ter-frame 37 at 40 and is yieldingly held in a normal operative position relative to said cutter-frame by means of a screw-bolt 44 loosely connecting an extension 43 of the said auxiliary frame 40 with a fixed projection 42 of the frame '37, together with a coiled spring 41 interposed between the said parts 42 and 43 upon the bolt 44. This connection permits the cutter 25, which is the usual shear, to yield slightly relatively to the fixed-cutter when cooperating therewith.

That I claim is 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fixed cutter, a movable cutter carrier, a cutter mounted on said outter carrier and movable therewith to co-operate with the fixed cutter, means to move the carrier, and means constructed whereby the movable cutter may be moved into cutting position independently of the carrier moving means.

2-. In aqnachine of the character described, the combination of a fixed cutter, a movable cutter-carrier, a cutter on said carrier and movable therewith to co-operate with the fixed cutter, means to move the carrier, and means to permit the cutter on the carrier to perform the cutting operation independently of the carrier moving means.

3. In a box-covering machine, the combination with a fixed cutter, of a movable cutter carrier, a movable cutter mounted on said carrier and normally movable therewith, power-operated means for actuating said carrier and its supported cutter to bring the latter into cutting position, and means for permitting movement of said movable cutter in its normal operative path of movement independent of its carrier to co-operate with the fixed cutter.

4. In a boxc0vering machine, the combination with a fixed cutter, of a movable cutter-carrier, a movable cutter mounted on said carrier and normally movable therewith, power-operated means for actuating said carrier and its supported cutter, and a yielding connection between said movable cutter and its carrier for permitting movement of the cutter in its normal operative path of movement independent of the carrier to co-operate with the fixed cutter.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fixed cutter, a movable cutter-carrier, a cutter on said carrier and movable therewith to co-operate with the fixed cutter, means to move the carrier, and means to permit the cutter onthe carrier to perform the cutting operation independently of the carrier and the carrier moving means.

6. In a box-covering machine, the combination with a fixed cutter, of an oscillating cutter carrier, a movable cutter loosely mounted on said carrier to swing about the axis thereof, power-operated means for actuating said movable carrier and its supported cutter, and a helical spring surrounding the common axis of, and connecting, said cutter and its carrier for permitting movement of the cutter into cutting position, independently of the movement of the carrier.

7. In a box-covering machine, the combination with a fixed cutter, of an oscillating ICC cutter-carrier, a cutter-frame mounted on said carrier to swing about the axis thereof independently of said carrier, a movable cutter mounted to swing on said cutter-frame, power-operated means for actuating said cutter-carrier and with it the cutter-frame and the cutter, a yielding connection between the cutter carrier and the cutter-frame, said connection operating to permit the cutterframe to move with or independently of the cutter-carrier, and a yielding connection between the cutter-frame and the movable cutter.

8. In a box-covering machine, the combination with a fixed cutter, of a gravitating movable cutter,power-operated let-off mechanism for intermittently releasing said movable cutter, a cutter-actuating spring-bolt adapted to be put under tension by said letoif mechanism and releasable With said movable cutter for imparting an initial impulse thereto, anda support havinga pocket Within Which said spring-bolt is seated.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a cutter, a movable cutter-carrier, a cutter on said carrier and normally movable therewith to co-operate With the first named cutter, means to move the cutter carrier to bring the cutter carried thereby into cutting position and means whereby the cutter on the carrier may be manually operated to perform the cutting operation independently of the movement of the carrier.

10. In a machine of the character described, l the combination of a fixed cutter, a movable cuttencarrier, a cutter on said carrier and a connection between said cutter and cutter-carrier constructed whereby the cutter may be moved to cutting position by the movement of the carrier or manually operated independently of said movement.

Signed at Rochester in the county of Monroe and State of New York this sixteenth day of February A. D. 1903.

MARK D. KNOWLTON itnesses E. D. CHAPIN, C. E. LYON. 

